I wouldn't drop your messaging plan for it as the other person needs to have Google Voice as well. Most of my friends who have BB's are stuck on BBM and refuse to go to Google Voice. My parents, brother and a few of my tech-y friends are on Google Voice and its awesome since it will show their status on GTalk in the Contacts application.

First off, you're talking about two completely different things. Google Talk and Google Voice are two totally different things.

Google Talk (or Gtalk) is Google's built in instant messaging app (like AIM, Yahoo Messenger, etc..) which even allows for voice and video as well through the pc browser (and a few other places, like android phone can use the voice option I think) Here is where the other person you are talking to has to have a Google talk account as well (free to any google user)

Google Voice is Google's phone forwarding service. That I believe you were talking about in the first place (phone calls, voicemail, text messaging etc...)

And no, whomever you are texting or calling through google voice does NOT have to have a google voice number (or account) as well, it will work with any standard phone cell or landline in the US and most countries in the world. So no worries there. (well except for trying to send a text to a landline)

As far as dropping your standard messaging plan, to save dough, that is an option but not without some tinkering. You have to send and receive texts through the Google Voice app ONLY, which uses your 3g data connection. You have to turn OFF text forwarding to your cell phone in google settings, as if you don't, google will forward you the text and Verizon will charge you for it.

The problem with using just the app for texts is right now there is a pretty big delay in getting new ones, from 5 minutes to as bad as 2 days sometimes. So to get around that you can set google to forward your text messages to your gmail account, which is pushed to your phone instantly. When you reply to that email, google turns it back into a text message and send it to whomever you were texting... which can be any cell phone you want. No google voice required.

wow. i can't believe i confused the two but you can't blame me lol (google talk vs google voice). Anywho, your post was very informative and confirms my initial hypothesis. I did not know about the delay that occurs with google voice. Because of this, I think I will try it and keep my messaging plan for now. Hopefully they can eliminate the delay and i can get rid of the costly messaging plan. Thank you very much romeov, that was a very useful post!

First off, you're talking about two completely different things. Google Talk and Google Voice are two totally different things.

Google Talk (or Gtalk) is Google's built in instant messaging app (like AIM, Yahoo Messenger, etc..) which even allows for voice and video as well through the pc browser (and a few other places, like android phone can use the voice option I think) Here is where the other person you are talking to has to have a Google talk account as well (free to any google user)

Google Voice is Google's phone forwarding service. That I believe you were talking about in the first place (phone calls, voicemail, text messaging etc...)

And no, whomever you are texting or calling through google voice does NOT have to have a google voice number (or account) as well, it will work with any standard phone cell or landline in the US and most countries in the world. So no worries there. (well except for trying to send a text to a landline)

As far as dropping your standard messaging plan, to save dough, that is an option but not without some tinkering. You have to send and receive texts through the Google Voice app ONLY, which uses your 3g data connection. You have to turn OFF text forwarding to your cell phone in google settings, as if you don't, google will forward you the text and Verizon will charge you for it.

The problem with using just the app for texts is right now there is a pretty big delay in getting new ones, from 5 minutes to as bad as 2 days sometimes. So to get around that you can set google to forward your text messages to your gmail account, which is pushed to your phone instantly. When you reply to that email, google turns it back into a text message and send it to whomever you were texting... which can be any cell phone you want. No google voice required.

Hope this helps!

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Romeov--I am so glad you have figured this all out. I just obtained a Google Voice account and I am getting my Droid this afternoon. As I am new to Google Voice (as are many on here I am sure), could you give us specific instructions as to how you changed your settings so that your texts would come to your Droid via the Google Voice app? Thanks so much in advance!

I did notice one thing I am not really happy with as far as the Droid's Talk app, is that it sticks with one account. If you want to use another gtalk account for a friend who would use their phone, they can't do it.

I also noticed I can't terminate the talk app even though you tell it to sign off.

You have to turn OFF text forwarding to your cell phone in google settings, as if you don't, google will forward you the text and Verizon will charge you for it.

The problem with using just the app for texts is right now there is a pretty big delay in getting new ones, from 5 minutes to as bad as 2 days sometimes. So to get around that you can set google to forward your text messages to your gmail account, which is pushed to your phone instantly. When you reply to that email, google turns it back into a text message and send it to whomever you were texting... which can be any cell phone you want. No google voice required.

Hope this helps!

Click to expand...

my first post... just joined

i did not sign up verizon messaging plan cause i want to keep my bill low.
I see that Google Voice will be able to allow me to text but I am stuck on some questions.

First.. How exactly do I turn off text forwarding so I will not be charged by verizon when using Google Voice SMS. I tried to search for this but I just cannot figure this out. Do I have to call Verizon and ask them to disable my text message function. Please help.

Second.. If I use Google Voice to text, would my friends have to text me at my Google voice phone number instead of my Verizon number?

btw.. just got the phone yesterday and left AT&T. The phone is really nice. The 3G network is soo much faster.

If you log onto to the google voice site.
Then go to settings, then the phone tab and you'll see Forward to: Your Verizon phone #, then hit edit and do it there.

My Question is how do you foward the GV texts to your Gmail???

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This is what I did, first of all, I disabled the Forward to: Your Verizon phone #, because then I get charged by Verizon for the text. Next, I clicked onto the Voicemail & SMS Tab under settings and toggled on "SMS Forwarding: Forward SMS messages to my email." Now anyone who text messages me to my GV number ends up in my gmail account and I no longer get charged for texting.